


Do You Remember (When We Were Little)

by youcallherhephanie



Series: Our Sweet Memories [22]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Boys In Love, Childhood Friends, Confessions, M/M, Soft Boys, kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 04:41:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20860406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcallherhephanie/pseuds/youcallherhephanie
Summary: By now, Steve was panicking. Billy had taken notice of the increase in his breathing rate. Opening an eye, he looked up at the brunet.“What’s wrong?”Steve looked down at him, eyes blinking. He could feel Billy shift closer, reach a hand out and around his waist. It calmed the panic in him. It didn’t do anything to steady his heart, though.“Do you remember, when we were little?” Steve swallowed his nerves. “And you said you wouldn’t be with anyone ‘cause you didn’t believe in love?”Based on the prompt: "Remember when we were little?"





	Do You Remember (When We Were Little)

Steve leaned against a tree, the last plume of the cigarette sighing out of his lips. 

He hung his head back, not minding the scrape against the bark of the wood. The quarry was quiet. Still. A warm breeze sifted through his hair every now and then.

Billy sat by his side, eyes closed behind his shades.

Steve tried not to make it obvious that he was staring. Tried to blame the growing blush on his cheeks on the suns heat. Felt a twitch in his hands at the feeling of wanting to reach out and take those glasses off, see the bright eyes underneath.

Instead, he sat still, waiting until Billy finally looked over before glancing away. Acting as though he hadn’t had a million thoughts running through his head, all about the him.

“You good, Stevie?” 

Steve rolled his eyes at the nickname. So many times he’d shoved Billy away for trying to make the name stick. And still, the boy persisted.

“Yeah.” He said, throat dry. He flicked away the empty cigarette. Leaned back more against the tree.

“Hm.” He felt Billy watch him for a second. 

This was their little place, the quarry.

They’d learnt how to swim here when they were eight; Steve had broken his arm from a fall when he was ten, the tree probably somewhere in the brush behind them. Steve had had his first kiss here, and according to Billy, he’d lost his virginity here. This was where the two had first met. Steve had been having a family picnic - something that hadn’t happened in over a decade - and Billy had been playing with the neighbourhood kids. Steves mum had pushed him towards the group, and in an unlikely instance, Billy had invited him into their game of tag. Ever since then, the two had been inseparable.

Steve had been quiet as a kid, shy and never wanting too much attention on him. Billy had been the complete opposite. Brash and loud, he’d always had a smudge of dirt on his face. He hadn’t changed much since then. After Billy’s mum left him with his dad, and Steve’s parents decided they didn’t need to be around as often now that he was growing, the two had changed

Maybe that was how the tradition came into place. To spend time away from their empty, broken homes and instead find comfort in each other. It turned from meeting at the quarry in times of pain and hurt to meeting whenever they could. In the morning before school, the middle of the night, skipping school, right after work, anytime they could. Sometimes they shared a smoke, sometimes they couldn’t stop talking about whatever was on their mind. Sometimes they just sat in silence. Those were the days where Steve knew they were both close to breaking down, yet somehow, never did. 

He lied back now, shuffling to sit comfortably. Billy was tucked right beside him, he noticed. Despite leaving his aviators on, Steve could still see the closed eyes underneath.

He couldn’t help but look. 

Billy’s lashes caressed the skin of his cheeks, fluttering every so often. His nose was dusted with freckles. His denim jacket was wrapped tight around him, as if he were cold. His hair was everywhere, out of the ponytail he’d held it in earlier. The curls were in his face, on his shoulders, bunched against Steve.

Steve couldn’t help the thought that swam through his mind. He was beautiful. 

The realisation hit him in the chest full force.

Sure, he’d always noticed that Billy was more handsome than other guys. He had that air of confidence and energy that made everyone’s eyes snap to him. Of course he’d noticed whenever they went to parties, Steve wouldn’t focus so much on the girls, but rather, on Billy. He’d noticed, since his break up with Nancy, which had taken so much out of him, he wasn’t as interested in dating anyone. He’d been caught up in being with Billy, seeing him and finding comfort in him through late night cigarettes and on the occasion, a surprise invite to the diner outside of town.  
He hadn’t put much thought into just how much he enjoyed being with Billy. Hadn’t questioned the protectiveness that always overcame him when he saw him alone or around others. Hadn’t questioned the drawn out looks they’d exchange. 

He hadn’t thought anything to it, until now.

By now, Steve was panicking. Billy had taken notice of the increase in his breathing rate. Opening an eye, he looked up at the brunet. 

“What’s wrong?”

Steve looked down at him, eyes blinking. He could feel Billy shift closer, reach a hand out and around his waist. It calmed the panic in him. It didn’t do anything to steady his heart, though.

“Do you remember, when we were little?” Steve swallowed his nerves. “And you said you wouldn’t be with anyone ‘cause you didn’t believe in love?” 

Billy huffed a laugh, scrunched his nose a little. “Yeah, of course. You made a hissy fit about how that meant I wouldn’t love _you_.”

Steve took a moment before he whispered the words. “Did you?”

Steve heard him suck in a breath. Any response Billy seemed to have, slipped from his mind. He stared up at Steve, aviators in his hair now, eyes wide and blue. Blue and clear and hopeful, Steve wondered how he’d not drowned in them until now.

“Did I…?”

“Did you?” Steve pressed, moving closer, head fully turned towards him now. He could see the realisation dawn on Billy’s face, what with the growing pink in his cheeks.  
“Yeah.” He didn’t look away from Steve. Something coiled in Steve’s stomach. “I did.”

He shuddered a breath, not wanting to look away from the rawness in his eyes. It was as though a wave of emotions were crushing down altogether. Suppressed feelings from his childhood rose; watching on as Billy flirted with all the girls in town, curling into the boy’s side after a bad night. Smiling as they made breakfast together. All their snowball fights. Vandalising the schools bleachers with their initials. 

Steve couldn’t help but ask. “_Do_ you?”

Billy was frozen in front of him. A soft breeze blew past them, and Steve watched as blond curls sifted across his face. Gingerly, he reached up and tucked the hairs behind Billy’s ear. The boy watched him as he did it, eyes never straying. 

Steve’s heart was in his throat.

When he turned his attention away from the gesture, he was surprised at the soft look on Billy’s face. A smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“I do, you know.” His words were whispered so faintly, rushed out in one breath, Steve almost didn’t hear it. Couldn’t hear past the wind and the thudding of his heart. “So much.”

Steve could feel his heart in his chest, could feel the burst of butterflies in his stomach.

Reaching up, he cradled Billy’s jaw with his hands, faces so close their noses bumped together. He looked between his lips and eyes, leaving the space for him to move back. To stop this all. 

Billy looked at him with reassurance, and smiled. It was easy for Steve to decide what to do next.

Leaning close, he just barely brushed his lips against Billy’s. He stared into his eyes another moment.

“Me too.”

He closed the distance between them and kissed him.


End file.
